‘Robbed of justice.’ Bridgeport man takes off while awaiting trial in fatal wrong-way crash
Wilber Martinez has been out on a $500,000 bond since August 2023 when he was arrested for a double fatal wrong-way crash that killed Westport mom of three, Monica Wilson, the year before. Police said Martinez was drunk and speeding when he took an exit ramp onto the Route 8 connector in Bridgeport and slammed into three cars.
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For more than two years, Andrea Wilson and Jerry Harris have made the trip to Bridgeport Superior Court every time Wilber Martinez, their daughter’s accused killer, was on the docket.
“This man took the chance, drank, got behind the wheel, went the wrong way on Route 8 and killed my daughter and almost killed my grandsons,” Andrea Wilson said, getting choked up.
She and her husband returned to court again on Feb. 11, except this time, Martinez, who’s awaiting trial, was a no-show.
“I told the prosecutor, and I told the victim advocate that he was going to run,” Andrea Wilson told News 12.
Martinez, of Bridgeport, has been out on a $500,000 bond since his arrest in August 2023 for a double-fatal crash in Bridgeport the night of July 24, 2022. He was charged with two counts of manslaughter with a motor vehicle, six counts of reckless endangerment, two counts of risk of injury to a child, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, reckless driving, speeding over 70 mph, driving without a license and several other motor vehicle charges.
According to Martinez’s arrest warrant, the crash happened around 8:30 p.m. after Martinez used an exit ramp to drive onto the Route 8 connector in the wrong direction and hit three cars.
Monica Wilson, 41, of Westport, was driving one of them with her two youngest sons in the backseat. All three were rushed to the hospital, but Monica Wilson didn't survive, leaving behind three boys. She died one day before what would’ve been her 42nd birthday.
Her dad called the days since “hell.”
“He denied me the right to go first and to walk her down the aisle, but most of all, he denied those boys a mother's love,” Harris said.
His wife agreed, saying the latest legal development is yet another gut-punch for their grandkids.
“Robbed again. They got robbed of justice for their mother. It should never have happened,” Andrea Wilson said, crying.
Martinez previously turned down a plea offer in the case and opted to take his chances at trial. When he failed to appear in court this month, the judge issued a rearrest order.
Monica Wilson’s parents told News 12 they hope sharing their story will help bring him in.
“It's tough,” Harris stated. “Losing faith in the system.”
The crash also killed Martinez’s passenger, Ananias Castillo-Icabalzeta, 47, of Bridgeport, and injured several people. Police said Martinez was speeding away from a hit-and-run crash nearby at Park Avenue and South Frontage Road at the time. Testing determined his blood alcohol level was 0.2, more than two times the legal limit, according to his warrant.
News 12 reached out to Martinez’s attorney for comment but did not hear back.
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